8 SEO Predictions from SEO Experts for 2018

This article was updated on August 6th, 2020 at 05:57 am

Did you know that 60% of all clicks made during an online search go to the top three websites in the search results page? There is no denying the fact that optimizing your website/blog for search engines helps you rank higher and get more traffic. Studies have shown that businesses with strong keywords in their company name rank 1.5 spots higher in the SERPs.

10 SEO predictions from SEO experts for 2018

With constant changes being made by search engines, especially Google, to their algorithms, only someone who stay updated with the latest SEO tactics can hope to succeed. Here are some predictions made by SEO experts that will be useful in 2018.

1. SEO for Voice will be More Significant

Did you know that from 2008 to 2016, queries made via voice commands increased 35-fold? This data, from the Internet Trends 2016 report, released by KPCB, indicates that increasing use of voice search in recent times requires marketers to change their SEO strategy for voice in 2018. They’ll need to optimize their websites for voice search queries relevant to each page.

2. Video will Become More Important

No doubt, video is an extremely powerful form of content. But in 2018, videos will make a significant contribution to your overall SEO strategy. More and more marketers will integrate better embedded videos on websites to increase web traffic and visitors’ dwell time.

3. Everything will be Mobile-First

Since a lot of internet users have switched to surfing the web via their mobile devices, Derek Hales, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Modern Castle, has predicted that mobile optimization would reach new heights in 2018. He added that Google’s much-awaited mobile first index, where Google’s algorithms will primarily use the mobile version of a site’s content to rank pages, is scheduled for launch in 2018.

4. AI will take huge leaps in Search

The buzz already is that artificial intelligence is the future of Google Search. Google has been working on artificial intelligence since 20111, which includes deep neural networks and networks of hardware and software, approximately equal to the web of neurons in the human brain, which will be able to learn a wide range of useful tasks. Google calls this approach deep learning, which is predicted to be the future of the web. This has led Google to develop RankBrain, an algorithm learning artificial intelligence system, which is used to help process Google search queries.

5. Quality Content will still Reign King

When asked, 72% of marketers quoted relevant content created to be the most effective SEO tactic. Improved quality content is able to increase blog traffic as high as 2,000%. Jonathan Alonso, Digital Marketing Manager for uBreakiFix, stated that your content should be able to answer the user’s questions, while meeting their needs.

6. Long Form Content will Rule

Did you know that the average length of top ranking pages on Google is 1,890 words? At present, long form content with word count between 2,000 and 3,000 words is gaining immense popularity in SEO. Such long formats allow you to naturally put clear and competitive words in the content, which helps in increasing the overall ranking of the website.

7. Long Tail Keywords will Keep its Relevance

Did you know that 50% of queries on search engines today are four words or longer? This indicates that a customer is looking for exactly what they are going to buy. This raises the importance of including longtail keywords in your content, since it helps in connecting and reaching to your target audience, thus driving sales, as published by Upwork.

8. Google AMP

The use of AMP ensures that the website has faster loading times, which improves user experience and decreases bounce rate.

SEO has a lot more in store for webmasters in 2018. They just need to align their websites with the user’s mindset and use the above-mentioned SEO tactics to ensure that their websites are highly visible in relevant searches.